Chosen
by AveryGrace824
Summary: Susan had lost everything; her home, her love.  But Aslan sent her back to her world for a reason; she was chosen.  A post-Prince Caspian fic.
1. Episode 1  Pilot

**Chosen**

**Summary: **Susan had lost everything; her home, her love. But Aslan sent her back to her world for a reason; she was chosen. A post-Prince Caspian fic.

**A/N:** Hey guys. This is my first fanfic, so hopefully you'll like it. I would like to start off my saying that this is not a crossover fic – I love Narnia and am a huge Vampire Diaries fan and I had the idea to mesh the two worlds together. The characters from TVD are not in here, but I did use the vampire concepts from the tv show. Enjoy!

**Disclaimer:** I, unfortunately don't own Narnia or any ideas I may have used from The Vampire Diaries. Blah, blah, blah – you know how this goes.

Season 1

Episode 1 - Pilot

Darkness.

That was all that was left. Susan sat on her bed staring out at the darkness through her window. Darkness was her life now. There was nothing left to excite her, her family only harsh reminders of what she had lost.

It had only been three weeks since… since the end.

Narnia. Thinking about her true home hurt, but it was more than just that. She'd lost love. She thought she was doing the right thing by leaving him. This was the life Aslan meant her to have. But she couldn't help but feel that a piece of her had been ripped out, leaving a painful and unhealing wound.

Caspian.

The sobs started anew as his name once again invaded her mind. Aslan said he had a plan for her life. But what could be more important than being with the man you love?

Susan's thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door. She really should open it, but she couldn't remember how to stand. And, honestly, she didn't really care.

_Knock knock knock._

"Susan, its April. Your sister called. Susan?"

With a sigh, Susan heaved herself off the bed and crossed the small dorm room to the door. April, one of Susan's favorite teachers, stood on the other side, looking concerned. She and Susan had become close friends this past year, after her first return from Narnia. April was in her late 20's, but Susan had felt more comfortable around adults, considering she'd been one not so long ago.

"Susan, Lucy called. She said your mother received a letter from the dean. They're concerned about your attendance."

This news confused Susan. She never missed a class, did she? As she gave it some thought, she had to admit that she couldn't remember going this week, or last week for that matter. What had she been doing? Honestly, when she thought about the last three weeks, she came up blank.

"I haven't been to class?"

"No you haven't, not for the last three weeks. If your attendance doesn't improve, they're going to kick you out. Susan, are you listening."

"Sorry," Susan replied, trying to appear interested.

"I'm worried about you too. What happened? You've been acting like someone died."

That sentence hit home more that April realized. Someone hadn't died, but something in Susan had. But if she wanted to continue to appear normal, Susan couldn't allow herself to think of _him _again; not now.

"I'm fine; just a little down. I'll call my mother in the morning." With that, Susan closed the door on a very worried April and returned to her bed. She stretched out, knowing she wouldn't sleep anytime soon and knowing that when she did, a dream so wonderful would overtake her and then leave her heartbroken when she was wrenched out of it in the morning. She closed her eyes and prayed for a dreamless night.

The rain had finally let up outside her window and since there were no classes on Saturday, Susan decided to take a walk. She couldn't remember the last time she'd seen the trees and the sky. Had she really been holed up in her room the past few weeks?

The talk she'd had with her mom this morning still played through her head. She'd assured her that she was okay; just dealing with some issues right now and asked if she could make sure her siblings gave her some space. She hated worrying her family, but right now they were just reminders.

The damp streets were surprising filled with people. Susan was careful not to make eye contact with anyone, not in the mood for pleasantries. She wrapped her coat around her more securely to protect against the chill and tried to clear her mind and think only of the gray clouds and the sound of her boots on the wet pavement. Looking around at the familiar surroundings she only felt more like a stranger to this world. It had taken nearly a year for her to consider this her real home after their first return from Narnia, and she wasn't sure she could do it again, or that she even wanted to. She was tired of pretending to belong.

It was on the sidewalk crowded with weekend shoppers, trying to pull out of the downward spiral her thoughts were taking, when she noticed the boy. His mother was talking to a woman behind a jewelry stand, clearly hassling over the price of a necklace, while the boy chased after a red ball. He couldn't have been any older than six or seven, and was dangerously close to the street. The ball he'd been throwing up in the air had glanced off his fingers, fallen on the sidewalk, and eventually rolled into the street… and the boy had followed.

Susan barely had time to build the scream in her throat when the car rounded the bend and hit the boy head on. Tears were already springing to her eyes when she realized the blood-curdling scream was hers. The passer-bys around her stopped and everywhere people were grabbing her shoulders and asking her what was wrong.

"Are you alright, Miss? What's wrong," a man asked, rubbing soothing circles on her back. What did he mean, _what's wrong_? Susan stared back at the crowd around her wandering why none of them seemed concerned about the boy.

"That boy needs help! Please, help him!" As the hysteria in her voice began to make her quiver, everyone only looked at her confused, as if she were out of her mind.

"What boy," a woman to her right asked.

"That boy," Susan yelled as she pointed across the street. But as she turned her head back to the tragedy, it was gone. There was no car, no horrified by-standers in the street, and the boy was still on the sidewalk behind his mother, playing with his ball.

"What the…" What was going on? She'd just seen the wreck, it was so real. How was everything back to normal, as if it'd never happened?

Before she could give the situation any more thought, the boy once again lost his ball, just like before. Also, just like before, he ran after it. Susan could hear the speeding car about to make its way around the corner and without taking the time to think about her actions, she threw herself into the street. A strength she'd never felt before pushed her forward faster than she'd ever ran before and she grabbed the boy from the streets just seconds before the car flew by them, so close, the side mirror grazed Susan's arm.

She hit the sidewalk hard, but managed to keep the boy wrapped protectively in her arms. The cries of the people around them rang in her ears and the boy's mother gathered him out of Susan's arms.

"Oh my goodness, William," the woman sobbed as she held her son. Once she had ensured that he was unharmed, she turned grateful eyes to Susan.

"Thank you, thank you for saving my son," she wept. The woman pulled Susan into a hug, continuing to thank her, and when she pulled out, Susan, shakily, made it to her feet. All she could do in response to the woman's gratitude was nod. She was still in shock over what had just happened. The woman snatched up her son and made her way down the street, kissing his head the whole way.

Numbly, Susan started to walk; not in any general direction, just to think. She'd seen that boy lying under the car; seen it all happen before it actually _did_ happen! What did that mean?

"Confusing, isn't it," came a voice from behind her.

"Excuse me," Susan asked, turning to meet a tall, well built man with dark hair. His handsome face carried a knowing look, as if he knew something Susan did not.

"Seeing events before they happen," he continued. He smiled a comforting smile, clearly trying to convey trust.

"How… how did you know what I saw?" Susan instinctively began to back away, sure at any moment that she would wake from this nightmare.

"We've been searching for you. You've been chosen for a great responsibility."

"What are you talking about? Who are you?"

"My name is Rueben. I'm here to help you."

Susan had no idea why she was following the dark, mysterious man she'd just met. Doesn't this kind of behavior lead to the police finding your body the next day? She pushed the morbid thoughts from her head as he drove her up to the front of a house. The driveway had taken them at least a mile into the woods and Susan had expected to see a mansion at the end. Instead there was a moderately sized home with an un-kept yard.

"You said there were others like me," Susan asked, regretting her decision to hop in his car.

"Inside; though they're not exactly like you. Each gift is unique."

"Gift?" Rueben had spoken very little to her on the drive and the comments he had made had only given Susan more questions.

"Dr. Allen will explain everything," he said as he stepped out of the car and waited for her at the door. Cautiously, she exited the car and followed him through the door into a small living room. The furniture appeared to be antiques, but was very beautiful and two sofas and a coffee table formed a nice little sitting area in front of the fire.

"Please, have a seat," Rueben instructed, smiling pleasantly.

Susan took her seat on the sofa, but when she looked up to ask him more questions, he was gone. She hadn't even heard him leave. The room was cozy, but cluttered with papers and books. A well used desk in the corner held a large volume and a half full tumbler of a dark liquid. The wall to her right was filled with a giant bookcase and on her left the floor to ceiling windows shown a beautiful view of the English countryside. She honestly wasn't completely sure where she was, but in light of the 45 minute drive, she guessed it was pretty far from the city.

"Hello, Miss Pevensie. My name is Dr. Charles Allen," came a voice from behind her. Susan stood and turned to face the speaker and was greeted by a man who appeared to be in his mid-forties. He had short light brown hair and wore a brown suit and glasses. He reminded her of a professor and she secretly wondered if he taught at her school.

"Um… Hello." Susan really couldn't think of anything to say, which usually wasn't the case.

"Please, sit down. I'm sure you have some questions. Rueben explained your gift."

"Yes, I definitely have questions. He said you were waiting for me?" This was all so strange; she hadn't quite ruled out the dream theory yet.

"I will explain everything, but I want you to have an open mind. Parts of this story are going to be very unbelievable." Susan suppressed a laugh at this statement, thinking how much of her own life was unbelievable. She could surely handle whatever he was about to tell her.

"First I would like to assure you that we know of Narnia," Dr. Allen began. This _did_ startle her. She had never met anyone who had known of her secret world aside from her siblings and Professor Kirk.

"How…," Susan started, but Dr. Allen threw up his hand, cutting her off.

"That will come later, but first, when you were living in Narnia, did they still tell the histories of the vampires?"

"Vampires? You mean like, Dracula?" Susan couldn't stop the quiet chuckle and burst through her lips at this. She had seen some pretty weird things in Narnia, but vampires?

"I assure you, they're quite real." After staring into his eyes a few moments, she realized he wasn't joking. Her features began to sober and she questioned him with her eyes.

"Long before your reign in Narnia, when the White Witch was still building her army to overthrow the King, she began making dark creatures to do her bidding. I believe you fought some of these at the Battle of Beruna."

Susan just nodded her head. She was still reeling from the fact that he seemed to know all about her adventures in Narnia.

"The vampires were among the creatures that she created. All of the others were made solely with magic, but the vampires were made from humans. Aslan felt that they were too evil to allow them to stay in Narnia, so before the White Witch began her attack, he banished them. It was meant for humans to save Narnia, not destroy it."

"Where did he banish them to," Susan interrupted. She still didn't understand what this had to do with her English life.

"He sent them here," Dr. Allen confirmed.

Susan felt as if the room was spinning as she tried to comprehend what this meant. If the same sentence had been uttered in Narnia, she would have accepted it immediately, but here.

"Once in this world, the vampires made more of their own, but Aslan didn't leave this world unprotected. He gave select individuals the abilities to fight the vampires. They were given the strength and speed to rival them along with special abilities that were different for each person, and they were called the Shadow Warriors."

"Is that what you think I am?"

"Yes, each shadow warrior attains their gifts when Aslan decides they're ready. Your gift is very unique; you are a seer."

"A seer? What does that mean," Susan asked, skeptical of this entire encounter.

"A seer has the ability to see the future, but only the immediate future, and it isn't set in stone. Your ability allows us to see a vampire attack before it happens so it can be prevented. There is always one in the world, but only one. It is a very important gift."

Dr. Allen paused, allowing Susan time to take it all in. Could this really be possible?

She had returned from Narnia to be thrown into the supernatural.

Eleanor listened carefully, body tensed, ready for the attack. She knew she only had seconds to raise her shield once it came. The breath was knocked from lungs as a blur hit her from the side and took her to the ground. Although the sparing mat was soft, it still sent little sparks of pain through her head.

"Ow," she murmured.

"You have to be ready. When a vampire attacks, you're not going to know its coming. Your shield has to be up fast," James instructed. She tried to focus on his words, but he was still on top of her with his face just inches away. His eyes were mesmerizing and it took every ounce of strength in her body to tear her gaze away from them.

"I'm sorry, I know. I'll try harder next time," she assured him. He rose from the ground and she was hit with the realization that he wasn't as affected by her as she was by him.

"You ready to try again?"

Eleanor was relieved to not have to answer his question when the door to the garage opened and Dr. Allen strode in with a young girl about her age.

"Ellie, James, this is Susan. Susan, this is James and Eleanor," he introduced.

"Hi Susan, it's nice to meet you," Ellie piped up. James nodded, glancing her over and fixing her with a handsome smirk to show he liked what he saw. Ellie felt a jealous blush cover her face as James openly flirted with the newcomer.

"It's nice to meet you too," Susan said, smiling at Ellie before holding James' gaze; clearly this was a girl who was used to having men stare at her. She held her composure, but was obviously slightly nervous.

"Ellie's ability is to shield, what's yours," James asked, stepping closer.

"According to Dr. Allen, I'm a seer," Susan explained, a little unsure of herself.

"Ah, you're special. I'm special too," James flirted, voice low and seductive. Ellie watched Susan roll her eyes and decided she liked this girl a little more now.

"James is a werewolf and a shadow warrior," Ellie explained, nonchalantly stealing his thunder. Susan's eyes did widen at that and James threw her an annoyed look. Ellie just shrugged, trying to put off an innocent look.

"You're a werewolf," Susan asked. It was obvious she was surprised, but not afraid. Most people who learned of James' werewolf status were instantly wary, but Susan seemed merely intrigued. Who was this girl? At seeing the girl's renewed interest in James, she began to question spilling his secret.

"That's right," James confirmed. "About seven years ago, my werewolf gene kicked in. Every full moon I turned into the wolf and lost control; if I didn't lock myself up, I'd kill anyone that crossed my path. Then a few months later, I received my ability… to turn at will."

James was always very proud when discussing his powers, but when he took in Susan's expression, which although interested, wasn't as amazed as he had expected, his surely attitude began to waver.

"You seem to be taking this news rather calmly," he inquired.

"I've seen werewolves before," she simply stated. Now it was Ellie's turn to be surprised; werewolves usually lived in secret.

"This building is for practice," Dr. Allen said, bringing the conversation back to more important matters.

"Practice for what," Susan asked, although Ellie thought the answer should be obvious.

"For fighting vampires," James exclaimed. At this revelation, Ellie saw Susan stiffen. She remembered the feeling; finding out vampires exist wasn't nearly as scary as realizing that you're the one that has to fight them.

"It's not as bad as you think. We always go in as a team and our gifts give us the advantage," Ellie said, trying to sound comforting.

"I just need some time… to sort all this out," Susan commented.

"Of course, I'll have Rueben drive you back to your dorm," Dr. Allen suggested.

He led her back through the house to the kitchen were Rueben was sipping from a coffee mug. It seemed odd, since Susan didn't smell the familiar sent of coffee or tea. What was he drinking?

"You're ready to go," Rueben stated, reading her face.

Susan only nodded. This was too much to deal with at one time, knowing that she was meant to fight vampires… she hated fighting, she always had. Maybe if she went back to bed she would finally wake from this nightmare.

She didn't bombard Rueben with the million questions on her mind; only sat in silence and tried very hard not to think about her situation. Once in her room she grabbed her bathroom bag and made her way to the showers, hoping the warm water would sooth her. She turned the water as hot as it would go, but it still wasn't warm enough and Susan found herself shaking. Wasn't it enough to lose the love of her life; now she had to fight monsters too? She was surprised when she realized the broken sobs were coming from her.

All she wanted was to go home, to Narnia, to Caspian.

Susan finally stepped out of the shower, dried off and dressed in her nightgown. She was closing her robe as she made it to her door, only to find it slightly open. But she was sure she had closed it; hadn't she? Hesitantly, Susan pushed the door open and felt along wall until she found the lamp. She jumped when the soft glow filled the room to reveal a man sitting in the small chair at her desk.

"Who are you," she whispered, her throat going dry.

"Someone who's been looking for you," he answered, his voice polite, but with a menacing undertone that made Susan's blood run cold.

"I saw you with Rueben," he continued. "I'm fairly certain that makes you the new seer."

As he spoke, Susan looked to the door and calculated her chances of making it out to the hall without him catching her, thinking she could always scream for help. Guessing her train of thought, the man was out of the chair and in a blur had passed her and slammed the door, locking it. The speed with which he moved made her heart stop. How was that possible?

"What do you want with me," Susan squeaked. Slowly, she backed to the wall beside her bed where her old guitar was propped against the wall gathering dust.

"Just for you to mind your own business. This isn't your war, and you know you don't really want to fight vampires." The ghost of a memory tugged at her as she remembered the same words being said during her first visit to Narnia. He was right, just because some random man told her she had special powers didn't make her a hero. But then again, Aslan had chosen her for a reason in Narnia; was he choosing her for something else now?

"As long as you stay out of our way, you'll live, but if you choose to become involved, I will kill you tonight. And if you try to scream, I'll kill everyone in this building." His tone, which had started off light and soft, had grown dark towards the end and an evil smile had spread across his face.

"We'll get in either way, there's nothing you can do to stop us," he threatened.

"Get in? Get in where," Susan asked. This completely confused her and she realized that Dr. Allen had never really explained what the vampires' motives were.

"Back to our real home. Didn't the good doctor teach you your history?"

"Real home? You mean Narnia?" As the words left Susan's mouth she could feel her entire body tremble with the implications in his confession. The vampires, creatures Aslan deemed too evil to remain in Narnia, wanted to return, and of course if they planned to recapture it for themselves, they would need to eliminate one very important individual… the king of Narnia.

"Caspian," Susan whispered.

"So what will it be, my love," the man asked in a both sweet and deadly tone.

"You won't get back to Narnia; I won't allow it," Susan stated, holding her head high and putting as much authority in her voice as she could muster. As the man hesitated, Susan saw her chance and grabbed the guitar, slamming it over his head. She expected him to drop, as any human would from the blow, but instead the guitar shattered into pieces around him, while he stood, unscathed, smiling darkly back at her.

In a blur he had her back against the wall with his hands on her shoulders. Susan's head throbbed from the impact and when she opened her eyes, she noticed his were changing; they darkened, becoming a flat black in the center and growing deep red toward the edges, while dark veins ran from his menacing eyes down his face. When he opened his mouth, two sharp fangs protruded, and he leaned towards her, eyeing the soft flesh of her throat. Susan tried to suck in the needed air for a scream, but it lodged in her throat as she became paralyzed with fear.

Before his teeth could pierce her skin, she heard a loud ripping noise that sounded like the door being torn from its hinges. And then another sound, one that was all too familiar from the numerous battles she'd fought in; the sound of a weapon piercing flesh. The monster in front of her gave a cry of pain and she watched his face turn ashen and his eyes go gray before he collapsed in front of her, a wooden stake in his back.

Looking up with tear-filled eyes, Susan saw Rueben standing on the other side of the dead monster.

"Was that a… vampire," she asked.

"Yes," Rueben confirmed. He just watched her, as if gauging her reaction.

"I… I can't… fight that," Susan whispered, her knees wobbling and about to give out. Rueben only nodded while he threw the vampire over his shoulder and made his way to the door.

"Was he telling the truth… about trying to return to Narnia?"

"Yes," Rueben confirmed as he paused at the ruined doorway.

Susan was scared of the vampire that had just attacked her, but she was more scared of the thought of these monsters in Narnia, of Caspian being on the other side of those eyes. Picturing his face, the face that was her whole world, she know now what her choice would be, what it had to be.

Aslan had chosen her for a reason, because she loved Caspian so much, that she would do whatever she had to in order to protect him.

With this new resolve, she met Rueben's gaze with a renewed fire in her eyes.

"I'm in."

**A/N: **So, what do you think? Is it good/bad, worth continuing? Let me know! And I also want to assure you that Caspian will eventually make an appearance, but the first part of this story will be Susan's.


	2. Episode 2 Ethan

**A/N: **Thanks to Calyn and banzi for reviewing! I appreciate the encouragement and advice; being new to fanfic, I need both and I really appreciate you taking the time! I'm not yet sure how much involvement there will be from her siblings, but we'll see. Enjoy!

Episode 2 – Ethan

He was insanely handsome. Even in her drunken state, she could see that. As the stumbled back to her apartment, he whispered sweet sentiments in her ear and she once again threw herself at him, covering his mouth with hers until her back met the door.

"Keys, you have to let me find my keys," she sloshed, searching through her purse as he lavished her neck with open mouth kisses.

"Got 'em," she exclaimed breathlessly, turning, now, to find the lock. After a couple tries, she finally heard the click of the latch and turned back to the handsome man she'd been flirting with for the past hour, but he was gone.

"Hello," she called, wavering a little from the alcohol that still plagued her mind and couldn't help feeling a little hurt that he'd just ran out on her. How had he disappeared so quickly?

"Looking for someone," a man called out, approaching her on the sidewalk.

"Uh… my friend… seems to have disappeared," she admitted.

"Well, it's his loss." As he spoke she noticed that he was devastatingly handsome, with dark black hair, a little too long for the current style, but complementing his face, and penetrating ice blue eyes. In an instant, he had her backed against the door and the butterflies were gathering in her stomach. This man was a much better trade off, but there was something menacing about him.

"I'm sorry your entertainment ran off, but if you like, I can take his place," he offered.

"Sounds good to me," she breathed, thinking as he leaned down that he was about to kiss her. Instead, his lips continued to her throat. He kissed her once and then she felt the sensation of teeth on her neck. At first it excited her, but then they seemed to grow painfully sharp and began to scratch her skin.

"Ow," she exclaimed.

His face broke into a smile as he rose to meet her gaze, and his eyes began to darken with deep veins running down his face; it was truly the face of a demon. As his smile broadened, it exposed two sharp teeth protruding from his lips.

"Don't worry, darling. There are worse ways to go," he laughed. She let out a terrified scream before she felt his teeth sink into her neck, and then she slumped and fell silent as the blood left her body.

Every muscle in Susan's body ached and the warm water was just what she needed. Although she'd just had a shower last night, training with James every afternoon had left her feeling as if she'd been hit by a truck. As she stepped out and grabbed her towel, she examined herself in the mirror. Last night she'd had some ugly bruises, but now they were almost gone, just some slight yellow discoloration on her light skin. It still surprised her how fast her body healed now.

Susan dressed in the guest bedroom Ellie had kindly given her, and she couldn't help the wave of sympathy that drifted over her. Ellie had explained on her first night here how her parents had been killed by vampires, trying to send her a message. It had happened almost a year ago. She lived here now with her aunt, a women in her mid-fifties who owned an antiques shop in town. Susan was surprised how easily Ellie's aunt had allowed Susan to stay, having never met her before. But Susan was grateful; Rueben had explained that a vampire can only entire a house if they're invited in, but since the boarding school campus was a public place, no invitation was necessary.

Just before heading out into the hall, Susan paused at the picture on her desk as she did every morning. She'd drawn it after the vampire attack; when the shell she'd built around her to keep the emotions and the hurt out had finally cracked.

Caspian's face.

She was a very good artist, but in her mind, she hadn't done him justice. It was all she had to remind her of him, and why she was doing this. Willing the tears to stay in place, she plastered on a fake smile and made her way to the kitchen.

"Something smells good," Susan exclaimed.

"Thanks, I hope it tastes just as good," Ellie smiled back, pulling the bacon from the pan onto a plate.

"I really appreciate the hospitality, but you don't have to cook me breakfast every morning."

"Now what kind of host would I be if I didn't offer you a home-cooked meal," Ellie joked. Susan had to admit that she'd grown to like Ellie, even if she was a little goofy sometimes. They ate in companionable silence until the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it," Susan offered with a smile.

James came every morning to pick her up for practice before school, which she'd actually been attending, so she was already expecting him to be on the other side of the door. Instead, she was met with Rueben.

"Oh, hey; what are you doing here," she asked, feeling a little embarrassed at giving him such a greeting. He only flashed her his most charming smile before waltzing past her through the door.

"Not the reaction I was hoping for," he quipped.

"Sorry, I'm just surprised. I was expecting James."

"I know, I offered to do the training today; give him a break." His smile held in place, but something in his eyes appeared vulnerable, as if he desperately hoped she would accept him as a replacement.

"Okay, but I have to warn you, I'm not that good."

In truth, the combat fighting she had learned in Narnia had been mostly with bow and arrow, not her fists. She had no real idea how to conduct hand to hand combat, even with her new gift.

"That's fine, I'm a patient man."

Susan momentarily found herself locked in his eyes, but the reminder that those eyes were not the warm brown ones she desperately wished them to be pulled her gaze down to her feet.

"So, was there any lead on the vision I had last night, with the woman," Susan asked, mostly as a distraction. Her stomach rolled once again as she remembered the woman she'd seen last night, attacked in front of her apartment building. It felt so real, like she was standing right beside her, even though she knew she was safe in the house.

"James and I went as soon as you called, but she was already dead. The vampire had laid her out on her bed, as if she was sleeping, with a rose clutched in her hand." Something in his eyes clued Susan into the fact that Rueben was hiding something; he had more information on this vampire than he wanted to disclose. All her years as queen had made her very good at reading people, and she could also tell that he wouldn't share his knowledge even if she confronted him about it, not yet.

"Well, are you ready to go," she asked.

"Yeah, of course," he responded, opening the door for her. Susan snatched her coat and school bag and preceded him out the door.

Dr. Allen sat, as usual, with his nose in a book. Something about the killing last night had tugged on something in his mind; something he just couldn't reach. He'd already poured over several volumes of vampire history and had come up empty.

The rose; something was significant about the rose. But what?

"Hey Doc," came a voice from the figure that had suddenly appeared in front up him. As a result of the shock, Dr. Allen had dropped his book and accidently flipped his chair.

"Sorry, didn't think it'd scare you that much," James laughed from his new position beside the doctor.

"I rarely find your antics funny, James."

"No sense of humor; you know, that's your problem."

Dr. Allen only scowled in response as he picked himself up off the floor, righting his chair and straightening his dress shirt.

"Before you popped in, I was researching last night's attack."

"Didn't set well with you either," James asked, a conspiratorial look in his eyes.

"You sense something about it to?"

"Not the killing as much as Rueben's reaction to it. The rose is clearly a calling card and Rueben seemed to recognize it."

At this new information, Dr. Allen began cleaning his glasses; a nervous habit.

"You think this is a vampire he's familiar with," he asked, returning his glasses to his face, still deep in thought.

"I'm sure of it. What makes me nervous is that he wouldn't admit it; he's hiding something."

"Well, you can't forget, we don't actually know that much about Rueben."

"Yeah, not the most open guy in the world." James chuckled a little at this. He still gave off his usual carefree façade, but Rueben had been at this a lot longer than he had, and anything that had him nervous definitely didn't bode well for the rest of them.

"Where is he now," Dr. Allen asked as he returned to the bookshelf, selecting three more volumes of interest.

"He decided to take over Susan's training for the day; thinks he knows a few techniques that might be more effective on her." James only rolled his eyes at this. He'd seen the way Rueben looked at her; that light that came into his eyes when she entered a room. Rueben was undeniably into her.

James had to admit, he was fascinated with her himself, but so far, she'd managed to shoot down every one of his advances. Seeing Dr. Allen return to his desk with the books, he assumed it was his cue to leave; bookworm wasn't really his style.

"So, where do we start today," Susan asked reluctantly as she took her place in the middle of the practice room.

"With this," Rueben's low voice replied from beside Susan's ear. She let out a soft gasp as the fastened a blindfold over her eyes.

"Why am I not allowed to see?"

"You need to learn to rely on your ability."

"But the visions I have are only occasional; I can't call on them at will," Susan argued, confused.

"Yes you can, you just have to focus. When you're put in a position to defend yourself, all your senses go into overdrive from the adrenaline, but I want you to focus only on your visions; anticipate my moves."

Susan knew exactly how your senses intensified when in battle. You were more aware of every noise and your body reacts faster as you rely purely on instinct instead of emotion. In that instant, everything was clear; there was only survival.

She focused on the darkness around her, tensed for an attack. And then it came; Rueben's round kick landed squarely on her shoulder, knocking her to the ground instantly.

"Ow… It didn't work," she exclaimed. "This is ridiculous."

"Just focus," Rueben instructed as Susan pulled herself back to her feet. She waited for anything, listening to the soft sound of his feet on the mat.

And then it hit her. A vision; Rueben's hand about to strike her face. Her armed flashed out like lightning, just in time stop his blow. Then another vision, Rueben kicking her in the stomach and pulling his hand free. Susan brought her leg up to block the kick and then twisted, landing her own kick in his gut.

It was incredible; she saw the whole fight in her head as if the blindfold wasn't there, only she saw every move before it happened. Her body responded of its own accord and she managed to block most of his blows and even land a few of her own.

She was so exhilarated by the sense of pride in what she was capable of that she missed the blow to her face. Landing on her back she had the intense feeling that half of her face had exploded and her mouth quickly filled with the salty taste of blood.

Rueben was quickly at her side, removing the blindfold.

"Sorry about that; you were amazing," he exclaimed, wiping the blood from her lip with the blindfold. Susan rubbed her cheek, making sure it was still there.

"I can't believe I did it; I can actually forced myself to have a vision." But Susan's excited words had begun to sound hollow and far away in Rueben's ears as he stared at the bloody cloth in his hands.

"Are you okay," Susan asked, noticing his wide eyes as he stared at his hand, looking almost wild, and placing her hand on his arm. The gentle touch brought his eyes to hers and she was shocked at what she saw there.

His eyes became dark, turning a deep red and the black veins ran down his face just as his fangs descended from his gums.

All the fight training she'd had did not prepare her for once again being face to face to a vampire, especially one that was becoming her friend. She couldn't form the words racing through her mind as she backed away from him and then broke into a full on run. The scream was stuck in her throat and she tried to force it out as she ran through the back door to Dr. Allen's house.

"Help," she managed, not having the volume she hoped for. She continued through the house until she found Dr. Allen at his desk.

"We have to get out of here! Rueben…" She didn't know if she could finish that sentence, and admit that a man she had begun to trust was a vampire.

"Calm down, calm down. What happened," he asked her placing comforting hands on her shoulders.

"Rueben, he's a… a…"

"A vampire," Dr. Allen finished for her, understanding the terrified look in her eyes.

"How did you…" Susan's head was spinning; if he knew Rueben was a vampire, then why hadn't he done anything already.

"Rueben won't hurt you. He's on our side, I promise." Susan remembered the red eyes she'd just gazed into and couldn't bring herself to believe him.

"It's true," Rueben whispered from the doorway.

Susan whirled at the sound and backed away from him.

"Please, I swear, I would never hurt you," Rueben explained. She could see the honesty in his eyes as he begged her to trust him, and something else… hurt?

"How can I believe that," she asked, her voice quivering slightly.

"Time, I guess is the only way," he responded sadly, but he didn't break eye contact. If anything, his gaze intensified as it locked with hers. Susan felt something in her break at his desperate need for her trust and unconsciously took a step towards him. Her mouth began to turn upwards in a tiny smile and she reached out to run a hand over his face, feeling the veins return to the surface under her touch, but the look he gave her pushed any residual fear back down.

"I'll try," she reassured him. The veins receded for good and his answering smile held all the relief he didn't say.

"So, he can walk in the sun because he doesn't feed off of humans," Susan asked, seeming skeptical of the conversation she was having.

"Yes, he can still drink human blood from blood bags and stuff, but he just can't feed directly from a human. It's this whole thing with his soul. I'm sorry, but I really think Rueben should be the one telling you this," Ellie stated nervously. She was clearly uncomfortable with the topic of Rueben. It wasn't that she felt Susan didn't deserve the answers; just that she didn't want to be the one to give them.

To Susan it still seemed sort of surreal; talking about vampires while they walked down the halls at school between classes.

"I know, and I'm sorry to put you on the spot like this, it's just… I'm a little uncomfortable around him. And he should have told me from the beginning," Susan explained, putting a tone of frustration into the last statement.

"He just didn't want to scare you, you know. All this vampire stuff is a lot to take in, and besides, I think he kind of likes you." Ellie giggled a little at this last statement and it seemed oddly bizarre to discuss boys and vampires in the same sentence. Susan had to smile a little at that.

"Well, I not ready… for you know… a relationship, or anything," Susan spoke softly, her eyes giving away the sorrow she barely kept bottled up inside.

"Bad break-up," Ellie questioned.

"Something like that," Susan responded. If only that was all; if only she and Caspian had parted on bad terms, then she could hate him and letting go would be that much easier. If only he'd treated her badly, then she would be better off without him. But that wasn't the truth. Caspian was the most amazing man she'd ever met and when she'd left Narnia she'd given him her whole heart, and then left it with him. How was she supposed to find happiness again when a crucial part of her was gone?

Susan was relieved when they came to the hall she had to split off on.

"Well, I'm this way, so I guess I'll meet you outside after school," Susan offered as cheerily as she could.

"Yeah, uh, James is picking us up; he'll be parked out front," Ellie responded before continuing in the direction of her class. Susan waved at her as she left.

The rest of the school day passed sluggishly and Susan was relieved to find herself finally on her way to the parking lot. The teacher of her last class had asked her to stay late to discuss her grades and now the school was mostly deserted. She hoped James and Ellie hadn't been waiting too long.

And then a vision stopped her dead on her tracks. She saw the man from her vision last night; the one who had killed that woman. He would be in the next building, the one standing between her and the parking lot. After a moment of assessing the situation, she finally decided to take the long way to the car and come back with James and Ellie.

As she turned to take the different direction, she vaguely registered the sound of the door opening. And then he was standing in front of her. She gave a small whimper of surprise, but otherwise stood completely still.

"Well, well, you seemed to know I was in there; must make you the new seer. You're much prettier than the last one," he spoke in a flirtatious voice. He reached out tenderly and stroked her cheek and Susan had to swallow back the bile that rose at his touch. If she didn't know what he was, she would have thought him very attractive with his jet-black hair and ice blue eyes. But as tempting as he looked, there was an air of menace in his eyes. This was not Rueben, the gentle vampire who had looked at her with nothing but concern; who would never hurt her.

This was a true monster.

"What do you want with me," Susan whispered, despite her attempts to make her voice more intimidating.

"I'm just looking to have a good time, but your merry little band of friends seems to want to stop me. Since you're new at this game, I'm not going to kill you today, but I think you know how easy it would be if you get in my way."

As he spoke, Susan had slowly slipped her hand into her bag to retrieve the stake James had given her for protection, and she'd quickly ran through the different ways to kill a vampire; stake to the heart, fire, removal of the heart or head, or sunlight. She knew at this moment she was only capable of one and she hoped she could be fast enough.

Susan held her breath as she drew her hand back and aimed for his heart, striking as quickly as possible. But he was faster. In a blur, he'd blocked her attack, grabbing her wrist and spinning her around, so that her back was pressed up against him and his arm was across her body still restraining her wrist. His other arm wrapped itself around her waist, pinning her left arm to her side.

"Like that," he whispered angrily with his lips grazing her ear. "Now listen here, little girl, you're new, and because of that you don't have your full strength, and are definitely not ready to go up against a vampire, especially not one as old as me. If I were you, I wouldn't be stupid enough to try that again." He twisted her wrist violently, causing her to drop the stake, but not hard enough to break the bones.

"Do I make myself clear," he asked, moving his lips down her face to the base of her throat. Susan felt the hot tears in her eyes but desperately tried to hold them in. She wouldn't give him the satisfaction of showing him just how scared she was; although she knew her trembling must give her away.

"Let her go," came James voice from behind them. The vampire only laughed at the request, but dropped Susan to the ground, turning to attack James instead. Ellie was at Susan's side in an instant with her hand stretched out in front of her. It took Susan a minute to see the transparent shield Ellie gave off to protect them.

Meanwhile, the vampire had rushed James, knocking the crossbow from his hands and throwing a punch to his face, but James tactfully dodged his fist and slammed the vampire into the wall. In a blur, James' body flew into the opposite wall and landed on the ground with a thud. When Susan turned scared eyes back to the vampire, he was gone.

"Time to talk, Rueben," James spoke menacingly, while casually leaning against the bookcase in Dr. Allen's living room. Susan watched from the couch, slightly wary of her new friend the vampire. Watching James and Rueben stare each other down, she silently wondered why the fact Rueben was a vampire scared her more than the knowledge that James was a werewolf. She assumed it had something to do with the fact that she'd actually had experience with werewolves in Narnia, but vampires were new territory. She was broken from her reverie when Rueben finally began to speak.

"I'm sorry; I'd hoped I was wrong; that it wasn't him."

"Who is he," Dr. Allen inquired.

"His name is Ethan; when we were still human we were best friends. He was like a brother to me. But we've since became enemies," Rueben further explained.

"What happened," Susan asked before she could stop herself. She could see the pain in his eyes as he spoke of his former friend and felt true sympathy for him.

"It's a long story, more than I feel like explaining now," Rueben exclaimed bitterly, and his tone cut Susan to the core. After his confession, she'd felt like a connection had formed between them, but looks like she was wrong. As Rueben's troubled eyes met hers, they filled with remorse.

"I'm sorry, it's just… not a story I like to re-hash."

"We need to do some re-con, find where he's staying," James instructed. But his voice faded to her ears as Susan was once again struck with a vision. At her quick intake of breathe, all eyes turned to her and Rueben knelt down and gently placed both hands on the side of her face.

"What is it, what do you see," he asked, gazing into her sightless eyes.

Another moment, and Susan's gaze returned to Rueben's and she took a deep breath to steady herself.

"I really wish I could have a little warning," she began. "It was your friend, Ethan. He's at a bar, I'm not sure where. And he's at a table with four women, one is already dead; he just let her lay forward on the table," Susan felt her stomach roll as she described the scene of Ethan seducing the women to their death.

"I think I know which bar he's at; he usually hits the finest in town," Rueben threw in.

"Well, what are we waiting for," James exclaimed as he headed for a chest in the corner. "Here, Susan, take this."

He handed her a crossbow with a wooden arrow.

"I hear you're good shot."

Susan felt the bow in her hand and smiled at how nice it felt to get back this part of her life. She put on an expression that was more confident than she felt and met the excitement in James' eyes.

"Lets go."

Rueben, James, Ellie, and Susan walked up to the doors of the bar and took a deep breath before moving to action. Susan and Ellie went around back and waited in the storage room behind the bar. Rueben and James strode in as if they owned the place and easily spotted Ethan in a booth at the back.

"Well that didn't take too long," he drawled as they came up to the table. Luckily they'd made it before he'd killed the first girl, but she was already sporting a nasty bite at the base of her neck.

"Would you like to join us," Ethan asked.

"We're not here for your games, Ethan," Rueben uttered menacingly.

"So, where's Susan? I was kind of hoping for her," Ethan continued, devious smile stretched across his face. "Let me guess, her and the red-head are waiting in the back?"

Rueben tensed at the mention of Susan, but James just continued to smirk, not easily intimidated.

"Alright then, I'll bite," Ethan offered, standing from the table. "Lead on."

Rueben led them through the back doors to the kitchen and then to the storage room with James bringing up the rear. Susan and Ellie were ready for them and Susan quickly had her crossbow pointed directly at Ethan's heart. He only smiled flirtatiously at her.

"There's just something about a girl with a weapon that turns me on," he flirted, voice soft and husky.

Susan's finger itched to pull the trigger and let her arrow fly, but she remained patient. Nothing good ever came from rushing things.

But before they could begin the questioning, James let out a cry and fell to the ground. Everyone turned to see James ripping a knife from his back while a blond girl… no, a vampire stared him down. Rueben recognized her as one of the girls at the table.

She rushed James and the two went tumbling out the door.

"James," Ellie shrieked, and ran after him.

"Never go into an ambush situation alone, right Rueben," Ethan chuckled. Rueben moved to slam him against the wall and Susan came up behind him, her arrow still trained on Ethan.

"Now, you can tell me why you're here, or I can just kill you," Rueben threatened.

"Oh, come on, Rueben; I'm just looking for a little fun. And I think I found it," he smirked, looking to Susan. Rueben slammed Ethan's head into the wall and brought the wooden stake out of his jacket pocket.

"Now, are you going to kill me when you know I have something you want," Ethan taunted.

"And what would that be," Rueben asked.

"I know someone's planning to lead the vampires back into Narnia, and I know who it is."

Upon hearing this, Susan lowered her crossbow and felt her heart constrict over the idea of vampires in Narnia.

"Who is it," she asked.

"That's not how it works, sweetheart," Ethan replied. Rueben still held the stake at his side, but appeared complacent to hear what Ethan had to say, as he stepped back, giving him some room.

But Ethan had other plans.

Before Susan could register how it happened, Ethan had landed a kick into Rueben's stomach and sent him flying across the room. Susan quickly lifted the crossbow back up and pulled the trigger. The arrow was true, but Ethan was faster. His hand blurred out and snatched the arrow in the air, just before it pierced his heart.

Ethan reached out to grab her arm, but Susan used her new-found skill and evaded his movements. Unfortunately, Ethan was faster than she expected; he finally caught her and threw her up against the wall, while simultaneously grabbing a broomstick and driving the wooden end deep into Rueben's abdomen, who had made a move to charge him.

Rueben collapsed into a heap on the floor and Ethan made his way to Susan. The impact with the wall had clouded her vision and her head was pounding. Suddenly he was right in front of her and Susan focused on not passing out as he spoke, his hands hard on her waist, holding her up.

"Now, that was just rude," he began.

"If you're going to kill me, why don't you get it over with? I'm not really into gloating," she jabbed, hoping he couldn't hear the fear behind her words.

"Relax; I'm not going to kill you… yet. I haven't had my fun yet." His hands moved slowly up her sides and Susan gripped his hands with all her strength, trying to push him away. But he had been right before; she didn't have the strength to fight a vampire yet.

"Don't worry; your end will come soon. I'll be in touch." He whispered the last words silkily; his lips once again grazing her ear.

And then he was gone.

Susan sat on the railing of Dr. Allen's porch, staring into the dark forest. They had been discussing Ethan all night and she needed a break. Although she didn't want to admit it inside, the dark-haired vampire had gotten under her skin. Whenever she closed her eyes, she could see his ice blue ones, staring back in triumph. But she knew that wasn't the scariest part; Ethan had mentioned that someone was planning to lead the vampire's into Narnia, and all she could think about was Caspian meeting those deadly ice blue eyes.

"Are you okay," Rueben asked. She hadn't even heard the door open.

"Yeah, I'm fine," she responded, but it sounded false even to her own ears.

Rueben joined her on the railing, and although she had wanted to be alone, she found she was glad for his company.

"When I was still human, I was in love with someone. She was my entire world and when Ethan and I became vampires, he killed her," Rueben explained.

"That's why you hate him so much," Susan stated. She was filled with nothing but compassion for him and she began rubbing soothing circles into his back while she looked directly into his eyes.

"I'm sorry," she offered, and he gave her a small smile.

"I know what it's like to lose someone you love," she continued. "The man I love is in Narnia, and I had to leave him to come back here."

"That night I saved you from the vampire in your dorm room, you didn't really agree to be one of us until you heard they had threatened Narnia. You were worried about him, weren't you," he asked.

"Yes; I can't imagine what would happen to him if the vampires actually made it into Narnia."

"What was his name?"

"Caspian." Susan's heart gave a painful squeeze at the mention of his name.

"The King?"

"Yeah; he would be their first target. When I first came back into this world and knew I would have to live a life without him, I didn't know how to keep breathing," Susan's voice broke and she struggled to hold back the sobs so she could continue.

"But now, fighting vampires… if I can keep them away from Narnia… away from him, then he'll get to be happy and get married and live a normal life. That thought… it makes living possible; like I can breathe again." The tears finally escaped and made tracks down her cheeks, and this time Rueben was the one comforting her. He wrapped his arm around her and pulled her to his chest.

"I was alone for a long time, but I want you to remember that you are not alone. We're in this together, and I will always be here to help you," he reassured her.

"And Aslan, but he's been here all along," she murmured.

The two of them sat there, staring out into the darkness, reveling in each other's company, and knowing that whatever came next, they wouldn't be alone.

**A/N: ** Don't worry; Susan's not going to just jump in a relationship with Rueben, but with everything in her life, I think she needs a friend, right? Caspian will always be her first choice. And speaking of Caspian, I do plan on incorporating him into the story, but I want to stay on course with the movies and books as far as he's concerned, so it might be a while (what with him busy sailing the utter east and wooing stars and all, lol). Anyways, let me know what you think!


	3. Episode 3 Family Troubles

**A/N: **I'm sorry it's taken so long to update. I've become very busy lately and I might not be able to update this story as often as I'd like, but I do appreciate all you wonderful reviewers! I would also like to ask your help with something; whenever I try to break up the different "scenes" this website won't allow the format I use. I've tried adding an extra space or asterisks and several others, but they get deleted once I upload (I hope you understood that crazy explanation). If you have any ideas, please let me know. Thanks!

Chosen

Episode 3 – Family Troubles

Susan quickly dodged the blow to the head she knew was coming; this vampire was fast, but Susan had gotten better at honing her skills. Whipping around and landed a kick to his head, she knew she had only seconds to pull the stake from her jacket before he was back on his feet. As she went for the kill, he blocked her, throwing her back into the side of the building. She silently cursed this alley for being so small.

She rolled quickly and missed his next assault, only to have him latch on to her foot and pull her back, grabbing the hand that held the stake. He was on top of her in a second and Susan was rapidly running out of options. And then he was gone, and the sound of Rueben ripping out the vampire's heart filled her ears.

Her breath came out in a rush as she made her way to her feet.

"I could have had that one," Susan gripped.

"You were seconds away from losing your head," Rueben explained. "You can't hesitate. You've been in battles before, you know this."

"I'm a lot faster with my bow."

"Well, running around London with a bow and arrow is a little conspicuous, don't you think?"

Susan rolled her eyes and glanced over at the ashen face of the now dead vampire.

"It was easier this time; I think I'm getting better at this," she smiled.

"He was young, probably turned less than forty years ago."

"You know, to some that would be considered middle age." Rueben gave her a crooked smile as he threw the body over his shoulder and lobbed it into a dumpster. He proceeded to dump lighter fluid on the pile and through in the match. Susan watched the flames with morbid curiosity while thinking of the best way to form her next question. She thought a direct approach would be best.

"So, how old are you anyway," she asked.

Rueben fixed her with a nervous glance and started walking back out of the alley without giving her an answer. Susan followed, and was about to protest when he turned to face her.

"Just over 200," he answered so quietly that Susan wasn't sure she'd heard him correctly.

"200 years old!"

At her incredulous look, Rueben's face fell and he continued walking along the empty sidewalk. The rest of the way back to the car was silent as Susan contemplated living that many years.

"You know, in another world, I'm technically 1300 years old," she said with a smile. She was relieved when he returned the smile and even gave a small laugh.

Once she finally walked into the house, all she could think of was crawling into her bed and maybe skipping classes tomorrow. But Ellie's aunt met her on the way to the stairs with a look of disapproval on her face.

"Girls have no place wearing trousers, Miss Pevensie," she lectured.

Susan wasn't actually a fan of wearing pants, but it did make the fighting easier when you weren't tripping over your skirts. Not that she could explain this to anyone.

"Sorry, it was just comfortable," Susan responded before trying once again to sneak up the stairs.

"Wait, before you go up, a young man came by today while you were out. He wouldn't give me his name; he said he wanted to surprise you at school tomorrow. I want to let you know right now that I don't approve of young men in this house without my permission, is that understood?"

Susan felt her stomach drop when she mentioned a young man looking for her.

Ethan.

"Susan, did you hear me," Aunt Sophie asked.

"Yes, ma'am; no boys in the house."

Seeming satisfied, Aunt Sophie made her way back to the sitting room where the wireless could be heard giving an update on the war. Susan tiredly made her way to the bathroom and mechanically went through the motions of showering and getting ready for bed. Images of Ethan filled her mind and she found herself dreading the thought of school tomorrow. How could he even be out in the daylight?

As she crawled into bed, she prayed for a vision that would let her know what to expect tomorrow.

Ellie was a ball of nerves as she got ready for school. James was meeting her for lunch… well, technically meeting her and Susan for lunch, but she couldn't help feeling giddy at spending the time with him. She bounded into Susan's room, surprised to see her still asleep.

"Wakey, wakey, sleepyhead."

Susan responded with a groan and pulled the covers over her head.

"Come on, get up; it's time for school!"

"I'm not going," Susan replied, but proceeded to sit up. Ellie had not missed the forlorn look on Susan's face and couldn't help but feel that her refusal to go to school had more to it than just lack of sleep.

"What's going on?"

"Your aunt said a young man came by yesterday to see me, and that since I wasn't here, he was going to surprise me at school," Susan explained. At Ellie's blank expression, she continued.

"It's Ethan, it has to be! I've been praying for a vision all night, but there's just nothing."

"Susan, you usually only receive a vision when there's danger. If you haven't had one, that's a good thing," Ellie encouraged. This seemed to settle Susan's fears a little.

"Besides, I need you there. We're having lunch with James, remember?"

"Are you finally done eye-stalking him; are you actually going to ask him to do something with you," Susan asked, with a short laugh.

"Uh, I think all that jumping between worlds has messed with your brain. The man asks the woman, its tradition," Ellie laughed back. As the laughter faded, Susan's gaze once again clouded over as the dread filled her.

"Don't worry, I'll be there; and besides, I'm sure you know more men than just vampires, right," Ellie reassured her, squeezing her hand.

"Alright, let's go."

Susan's stomach was in knots as she walked up to the school, re-calling the last "talk" she'd had with Ethan just three days ago. As she and Ellie made their way to the front of the school, Susan's jaw dropped. She would have spotted him easily, even if he wasn't the only boy at an all-girls school. Her face lit up as she took in his bright smile and she ran over to him, enveloping him in a tight hug.

"Peter!"

"Wow, it's good to see you too, sister. You know, it's only been a little over a month," Peter laughed. It was actually more relief than anything that made Susan so happy to see him. She suddenly remembered Ellie standing behind her.

"Um, Peter, this is Ellie; Ellie, this is my brother, Peter."

"It's nice to meet you," Peter exclaimed, ever the gentleman.

"Uh, yeah, y-you too," Ellie stuttered, struggling to form coherent words, as was the usual when she was talking to a good-looking boy.

"What are you doing here," Susan asked.

"I know you told mom that you wanted some space to deal with some things, but I thought you might like a little help… after all, I'm going through the same thing."

Peter smiled back at her and Susan fought the urge to explain exactly why he wasn't going through the same thing. Sure, he'd also said goodbye to Narnia, but he hadn't fallen in love there… and he wasn't currently fighting the creatures of the night on the side.

The shrill sounding bell started ringing, signaling for everyone to get to class and Susan gave Peter one last hug.

"Why don't you have lunch with us, we're meeting a friend," Susan offered.

"Sounds great, I'll meet you back here."

The bar wasn't crowded, due to the hour of the day, and Rueben easily spotted Ethan's jet black hair at one of the booths. After casing several haunts, this one caught his eye; the manager had a small apartment underneath the bar with no windows, it was the perfect housing for a vampire.

Rueben slide into the booth opposite Ethan and the other vampire merely smirked.

"So, you finally found me. You know it's not like I've been hiding. I think you're losing your touch," Ethan taunted.

"I want to know what you're doing here Ethan," Rueben ordered, in a low, but deadly voice.

"Having a drink; I'm pretty sure it's a fairly regular custom."

"Ethan, I know you; you always have a motive."

"What can I say, your seer peeked my curiosity." Rueben stiffened at the mention of Susan. It was all part of Ethan's game to pick someone and stalk them, scaring them to the point that they almost welcomed death when he offered it.

"Stay away from Susan," Rueben growled.

"Relax; I'm not planning on killing her yet."

"I'm giving you one shot to leave here with your undead life; tell me why you're really here."

"Sorry Rueben, but that would take the fun out of guessing." Ethan stood and made his way around the booth, reaching out lightning fast and stabbing Rueben in the neck with a pen the waiter had left.

"This was a nice chat, let's do it again sometime," Ethan jabbed. Rueben yanked the pen from his neck and when he looked back up, Ethan was gone.

Susan couldn't help feeling slightly nervous as she introduced Peter to James. She still hadn't decided if the truth or a lie was better when dealing with her brother and to have him face to face with her new world was enough to make her a little edgy.

"So, how exactly do you know Susan and Ellie," Peter asked as the waitress brought them their drinks.

"I'm an old friend of Ellie's family, and I met Susan right after she moved in with Ellie and her aunt." James must have done this several times before; he was so good that Susan almost believed him herself.

"Yeah, about that, why didn't you tell mom about having to move out of your dorm?"

"I just didn't want to worry her; after the 'vandalism', I was a little shaken up," Susan lied. In truth she'd hoped it would just never come up.

"Well, she should know. And I would like to thank your aunt for taking in my sister, Ellie."

"It's n-not a problem," Ellie mumbled, barely above a whisper.

"So how are you really doing… with 'everything'," Peter asked, clearly referring to Narnia.

"I'm okay; at first it was hard, but it's getting easier." And Susan really did feel that the words were true. Yes, she missed Caspian and her true home like crazy, but she was making a difference now, and she was finally starting to feel like she belonged somewhere again.

"Good," Peter answered with a soft smile, gently squeezing her hand on the table.

Their food finally arrived and the four sat there engaged in comfortable conversation about school drama and funny family stories. James and Peter seemed to really hit it off and for the first time in a week, Susan let all her worries go and enjoyed herself.

Once all the food was gone and it was almost time for Susan and Ellie to return to school, Peter rose from the table with wallet in hand.

"Peter, you really don't have to do that; Mom always sends me enough money to eat on," Susan argued.

"I want to do this for you; we don't get to see each other as often during the school semester."

"Fine… thank you," she responded.

As Peter left to pay the bill, Susan leaned across the table and addressed James in a voice barely above a whisper.

"I know we were supposed to train this afternoon, but do you think I could skip it… just for today."

"Yeah, I guess; although, I'm sure after a few hours you'll miss my charm," James joked. An idea hit Susan just then and she was sure Ellie would thank her later.

"Why don't you work with Ellie today? You've been so focused on me that she really hasn't had the opportunity to train."

"Yeah, that's a good idea. What do you say, Ellie," he asked, with a little less enthusiasm that Susan was hoping for. Ellie seemed unable to form words and only nodded, throwing Susan a small smile once James wasn't looking.

"Alright, shall I walk you back to school," Peter offered returning to the table.

"Sounds great," Susan smiled.

Peter made his way down the street to his friend's apartment. Dinner with Susan at Ellie's aunt's had gone surprisingly well and he honestly felt that she was dealing with the aspect of never returning to Narnia. He'd seen the look in her eyes when she said goodbye to Caspian and was sure heartbreak had a lot to do with her depression, but she was really pulling through.

He strode into the apartment and was about to make his way to the spare bedroom when he noticed his friend apparently had a guest. The two men sat at the small kitchen table laughing and sharing a drink.

"Ah, Peter, this is Ethan," his roommate, Darryl, introduced. Peter reached out and shook hands with the dark stranger, but something about him seemed… dangerous. After years of ruling a country and fighting wars, he'd become quite good at noticing such things.

"Hello, it's nice to meet you," Peter responded.

"Ethan here says he wants to talk to you about your sister."

"That's right; I'm very concerned about her," Ethan spoke up.

"What's wrong?"

"Why don't we go for a walk?"

Peter accepted the man's invitation, but checked to make sure he had his pocket knife. Something about this stranger didn't sit well with him and he wasn't about to take chances.

Susan thankfully collapsed on her bed, happy to be free of vampire troubles for the evening. She hadn't realized how happy seeing her brother would make her and it was just what she'd needed to help her push through another week.

A timid knock on the door brought her spiraling back from her cloud of dreams and she jumped from the bed.

"Hey, can we talk," Ellie asked. The wary look on her face made Susan instantly nervous, but she threw the door open to allow her entrance.

"Sure, what's wrong?"

"I just want you to be careful… with how much you tell your brother."

"What do you mean?"

"You know what happened to my parents."

In truth, Susan had nearly forgotten about the story of Ellie's family, but now it came shooting back across her consciousness with blinding clarity. A vampire had killed her parents just because she was a shadow warrior… to scare her.

"You think something like that could happen to Peter?"

"I think you've already made one heck of an enemy, and if Peter gets too involved…"

Suddenly Susan's good mode plummeted and was replaced by an intense need to have Peter go back to his school and never return. How could she be so stupid? Of course she couldn't involve her family in this.

"He's going back tomorrow, after that he'll be safe."

"Susan," Aunt Sophie called from the bottom of the stairs. With troubled eyes, Susan proceeded out of the room with Ellie on her heels. Once they bounded down the stairs, Ellie's aunt met them with a young man.

"He said he needs to speak with you quickly," Aunt Sophie explained before returning to the kitchen.

"Ethan sent me," the man began, and Susan's blood ran cold. "He wants you to meet him at the school; it's about your brother."

And then the vision hit her; Peter's motionless body at Ethan's feet.

She felt her world shaking around her and the hot tears made streaks down her face before they fell to the floor. Peter would not die! She wouldn't allow it!

"What does he want with him," Susan shouted at the man, but he didn't answer.

"He's been compelled," Ellie explained.

"What do you mean 'compelled'."

"Vampires use a form of compulsion, or mind control, on normal humans. It doesn't work on us. This man's only been compelled to deliver a message."

"Fine, forget him. Let's go."

Susan ran frantically to the coffee table and snatched Aunt Sophie's car keys.

"Um, Aunt Sophie… we'll be back… and we're taking your car," Ellie shouted as she ran after Susan out the door. Her aunt's protests followed them outside, but Susan barely noticed. She didn't bother with the seatbelt as she thrust the key in and started the car.

"You do know how to drive, right," Ellie asked.

"Um, in theory."

Ellie's eyes filled with fear as she quickly buckled herself in and held on for dear life. Susan put the car in gear, but was surprised that when she hit the gas, she found herself going backwards!

Ellie screamed and Susan romped down on the brake.

"Did you mean to do that," Ellie asked.

"Let's just try that again."

This time, Susan had more luck and she pushed the car as fast as it would go towards the school.

Once they arrived Susan made a bee-line for the gym; based on her vision, that's where they would be. It was dark, but with her new enhanced ability, she had no difficulty seeing. Ellie found the light switch and bathed the room in bright white light. There in the middle of the room, Ethan stood beside an unconscious Peter.

"Peter," Susan screamed.

"Oh, don't look so panicked; he's still alive. Where would the fun be in killing him before you got here," Ethan taunted.

"Leave my brother out of this!"

"He's in this because _you_ are in this."

"Then do what you want with me, but let him go!"

Peter started to come around then and with a groan, lifted his head off the ground.

"What happened," he asked in a hoarse voice.

"I strangled you until you blacked out," Ethan answered flatly.

"You what…"

"Peter, get away from him," Susan shouted, preparing to rush Ethan. But he was fast; he quickly grabbed the golf club at his feet and shoved it through Peter's stomach.

"NO!"

Susan succeeded in knocking him down as Ellie stood frozen in horror. Ethan slammed Susan's head into the hard floor and blurred over to a stunned Ellie, grabbing her roughly by the throat.

"I don't remember inviting you to this party," he told her.

He lifted her by the throat and threw her against the wall, rendering her unconscious. And then he felt wood pierce his flesh. With a moan of pain, he ripped the stake from his back, only to turn and find Susan armed with another.

He easily blocked her and flipped her onto the floor, climbing on top of her with the tip of the stake pressed to her chest.

"I'm going to have so much fun killing you."

Despite her resolve, hot tears escaped Susan's eyes and she prepared for whatever he had planned. She could see in his eyes pain was coming and it wouldn't be a slow easy death.

And then something connected with the back of Ethan's head… hard.

"You get away from my sister," Peter shouted, bloody golf club in hand.

Ethan merely shook off the blow and rose to his feet, fully preparing to rip the boy's head from his shoulders. But just as he moved forward to strike, something knocked him off his feet.

It was a giant wolf!

Susan was sure it was James. The two wrestled in the corner until Ethan threw him off and made his escape. Once he was gone, Susan eyed her brother, who seemed remarkably healthy considering he'd just had a golf club lodged in his stomach.

"Are you okay," she asked, jumping up to examine him.

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"How…" Susan lifted his blood soaked shirt only to reveal flawless skin. "I don't understand, I saw him stab you!"

"He must have missed."

"But the blood…"

"Obviously it's not mine."

Susan continued to stare at in confusedly until she finally decided she didn't care and settled for wrapping her arms around him. A groan from the corner of the gym reminded her of Ellie, but it seemed Rueben was already at her side. She cast around for James, but he was already gone, probably hoping Peter hadn't gotten a very good look at him.

Susan and Rueben opted to walk Peter back to his friend's apartment and surprisingly, Peter didn't ask a single question, though Susan feared there would be plenty in the morning. But did she want this life for her brother?

"I think I'm just going straight to bed," Peter explained tiredly at the door.

"Of course; we'll talk tomorrow before you leave," Susan promised. She enveloped him in a tight hug before watching him walk resignedly through the door.

"I'll stay here and keep watch until morning," Rueben offered.

"Thanks. Do you think you could do me a favor?"

"Anything."

"Ellie told me about compulsion… vampire mind control, and I… I want you to use it on Peter."

Susan had yet to meet his eyes, but when she did, with her eyes still wet from tears, Rueben knew he couldn't refuse her.

"You want him to forget."

"If he knows I'm in danger here, he won't go back to school and he'll end up getting killed. He has looked out for me my entire life; now it's my turn to do the same for him. I just want him to remember that we had a great day together, but he really wanted to stay on track with medical school, and… and he's not… coming back."

By the end, Susan was nearly racked with sobs at the thought of not seeing her brother; of maybe never seeing him again… just to keep him safe.

Rueben just nodded and watched Susan turn and continue down the street to Ellie's.

Instead of his bed, Peter only made it to the kitchen table before he collapsed. He nearly jumped when he heard the front door open again. _Forgot to lock it._ He was relieved to see it was only Susan's friend, but when he took in his serious expression, Peter jumped up from his seat.

"Everything's okay, just relax," Rueben instructed. He locked eyes with Peter and willed him to heed every word he said.

"All you remember is having a great day with your sister. A man came by to talk with you, but you were exhausted and went to bed. You'll forget everything that happened in the gym and tomorrow, you'll return to school and focus on your future. You won't come back to visit Susan again."

Peter stared back in stark confusion, but before he could question him, Rueben was gone. _What just happened_, Peter thought.

If Rueben would have stayed, he would have been surprised to find that his compulsion hadn't worked… Peter remembered everything! And now he was more confused than ever. Something was definitely going on with Susan and her friends, and he was going to find out.

But right now, he had more important questions to answer. He made his way to the bathroom, removing his shirt and discarding it on the floor. He knew the golf club had punctured his skin, although how that man had enough strength to put a golf club through someone's stomach he had no idea. Peter had known than in a matter of seconds he would bleed to death and die… but he hadn't! How?

Experimentally, Peter took out his knife and after a deep breath, made a deep cut across the palm of his hand. He watched the blood rise and start to run down his hand and then stared in amazement when it started to heal!

"What the…"

_Caspian stood at the front of his army, facing the King of the giants. They were only here to discuss the surrender of the giant forces to Narnian rule, but something in the pit of his stomach told him things would go very wrong. He wasn't at full force, since this was supposed to be a peaceful meeting, but now he wished he were._

_Just as they approached the giant King accompanied by his advisors, a loud horn sounded and suddenly they were surrounded by the giant army, coming at them from three sides. All that was left know was to fight… fight and pray that Aslan would send help soon!_

Susan bolted upright out of bed, drenched in sweat. She'd just had the most vivid dream- no, not a dream… a vision. Her heart was hammering away in her chest and her breathing was coming at irregular intervals as she remembered the face of the man she thought she'd never see again.

"Caspian!"

**A/N:** So, I wasn't actually planning on bringing her siblings into this, but you convinced me. What do you think of Peter having a more central role? I'm still not planning on bringing Edmund and Lucy into this… yet. And that dream/vision at the end… let's just say Aslan showed her that for a reason!


End file.
